Today's game…rubber match

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incredible:

Oakland A’s GM Billy Beane feels pretty good about the state of his team since no one gave any chance of contending after he traded his best pitcher, Dan Haren, and one of the best everyday position players, Nick Swisher, for bundles of unproven prospects over the winter. But thanks to the quick development of some of those prospects, pitchers Dana Eveland and Greg Smith in the starting rotation and outfielders Carlos Gonzalez and Ryan Sweeney, the A’s came out of the All-Star break just five games out of the wild-card lead. That seemed only more remarkable considering the A’s top three sluggers, Eric Chavez, Frank Thomas and Mike Sweeney, are injured. And now Beane has dealt two more starters- oft-injured ace, Rich Harden, to the Cubs for rookie righthander Sean Gallagher and two other prospects, and Blanton to the Phillies for a top prospect second baseman, Adrian Cardenas, and a lefty reliever, Josh Outman, who may be up before the year is out. For Haren, Swisher, Harden and Blanton, Beane has acquired 20 prospects.

“You need to be more aggressive early in the count,” said Ardoin, who is expected to catch Hiroki Kuroda in Wednesday’s get-away series finale, with Russell Martin starting at third base.

that was from yesterday.. and i’m glad russell isn’t playing third.. i HATE it more than anyone when he’s out of the lineup.. but he needs a break.. and with the day off tomorrow, it’ll be like 2 days off with a night game on friday.. plus joe had said andy would play all three days, so i’m guessing he was considering playing andy at second to give jeff a break.. but i’m glad he did it this way instead..

If we could spin Kent to the Rays for a pitcher (Jackson, Sonnenstine, etc.) we could trade Lowe to the Yankees for Cano. This was mentioned earlier in the year but with Penny. That would work out nice.

BTW, What the hell are we resting Russ for? We’re 2 games under .500 with nothing guaranteed to play for. Well, I’m sure glad Russ will be rested for those all important meaningless games in September when we’re 10 games out.

come on scott.. are you being serious? the guy hasn’t had a meaningful day off in forever.. and he even caught 10 innings in the all-star game.. i don’t know about you, but i’d like russell’s legs not to fall off in a year or two :P

plus, ardoin has done a great job catching kuroda this year.. two of hiroki’s best performances were with ardoin catching, AND danny knows coors..

Sorry to steal your thunder, Thunder, but why would the Yankees deal Cano now that he’s playing well and he’s still young for a 2 month rental? Colletti is more likely to get Betemit in return because Ned is an idiot.

OXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal says the White Sox discussed Orlando Cabrera with the Dodgers earlier this month with the intention of acquiring Brian Roberts and moving Alexei Ramirez to shortstop.
Nothing happened then, probably in part because the price for Roberts is sky high. The Orioles are believed to be leaning towards keeping their second baseman. The White Sox could always try for Mark Ellis or Mark Grudzielanek instead, but Grudzy probably isn’t an upgrade and Ellis wouldn’t be a big one.

No Problem scott, I know the yanks wouldn’t want to deal Cano now that he has been hot. It was just wishful thinking. I don’t expect Colleti to pull of any of those trade because yes, like you said, and like we all agree Ned is an idiot.

sara, no offense, but the day off tomorrow is enough for a young guy like Russell. He can save his legs later when we’re actually in first or have a winning record. He shouldn’t have been playing 3B on his other “days off” if you want the truth. Torre is an idiot like his brother Ned…

saralovesrussell–I was about to chastise you for posting that link, because it was so dumb, and it came from Fox Sports, that I assumed that it was Ken Rosenthal. But it wasn’t. And it IS dumb–why would your leading average hitter and leading RBI man even be considered for a platoon. The guy suggests that Kent is too old to be good, so my first thought that they hired him five years ago and stuck him in a closet doesn’t explain his ignorance. But seriously, do you think these guys could check a box score, or just the team stats page on ESPN.com before sounding like idiots?
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I just saw Jungar’s link about the Rays interest in Kent at 2B, also from Fox Sports, and I am really starting to wonder what is going on with that network? How can one writer say that a player is washed up, and another writer FOR THE SAME ORGANIZATION then say that a contender wants to acquire him? Do these guys live in a bubble?
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I think there is an accepted rule here not to repeat Ken Rosenthal information, but we should just consider banning the entire Fox network–their reporting on the Dodgers is almost as bad as their ownership (although, I give FSN Prime Ticket some credit–Kevin Kennedy usually knows what he is talking about; Steve Lyons only sort of does, but he serves a different purpose in the world).
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I can’t actually see trading Kent. I disagree with the assessments of his inability to hit. I think he still has a little more left in the tank. But at least second base is not a black hole offensively, as is Andruw Jones, or how shortstop has been until Nomar stepped in (and the worry over Nomar falling apart continues). And, frankly, the Rays are younger than the Dodgers, and I would not want Jeff Kent to have to learn a new group of young players.
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I also see rumors and suggestions of trading Derek Lowe. I understand we will probably lose him to free agency this year, but we get 2 draft picks. So, we could trade him for a Casey Blake-type bat (which, we don’t need at 3B), who would likely decline in Dodger Stadium–or keep him, ride him through the NL West, and if we win the division–being only one game out–we can use him in the post-season, and let Logan White draft two players next June.
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I see us as buyers in this market–we can win the west, and can put together a post-season, so I am not big on giving away players (I’m not that big on making many of the trades I hear about either, since I don’t think we should ever trade the 7 core young players, and I have not heard of a particularly good deal to improve in positions where we need help (i.e. shortstop).

Scott–we’re about to hit a 23-game stretch with only one off day. With a day game after a night game (and back-to-back Coors Field marathons), I think I have to agree with Sara here. The other thing to remember is that it’s not just today, but last night. Since he knew he would have the off-day, it’s not a night going through situations, pitches, hitters, etc. in trying to call a game, and it’s not getting up early for the afternoon contest. If it were a night game, I’d be with you, but the timing for a day off makes sense.

Man, I don’t understand the *massive* love for Adrian Beltre. He’s not bad, good leather, but…. He had one huge year, his free-agent walk year, and has been a little above or a little below average all the rest. He’s still owed about $17M through the end of next season.
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Here’s what he’s hit since leaving the Dodgers:
.265 .319 .450 .769
And since he’s 29 (or is he? 31 mayber?), it isn’t likely to get much better. Plus, he might be losing power since his HR pace this year is about the same as the last few seasons, but his extra-base hit pace is down.
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Yes, there’s some pop there, but we kill Slappy McPutout for having about a .330 OBP over the same time period. Given that he has had 639 or more PAs every full season for the Ms and has played nearly every inning this year, his HR and RBI totals aren’t impressive. (1 HR every 25.5 PAs as a Mariner).
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And some of you will love this: his agent is still Scott Boras.

scurtis – as I said, “some of you” :). I’m with you on Boras, he doesn’t have a gun to the GMs heads when negotiating these contracts.
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And I agree that the Kent / T.B. rumors sound like nonsense – T.B. doesn’t have a need for him.

Oh my goodness! We just got into town and we came over to one of the malls, and Steve Garvey is here signing books, cards, etc. I have my Ethier jersey on so he knew I was an actually fan. Anyhow, I sat with him and we talked about the team, trades, etc. He was very impressed by what I knew. I told him I am an ITD blogger and he was impressed with that as well. So, I got a picture, book and card signed – This is a great day! I will read posts after lunch. Looks like some interesting conversation. :)

scott – it’s just a watch. One big difference is that DeWitt played full-time for three months, minus Nomar’s short early comeback. DeWitt is a former #1 draft pick, LaRoche signed for a $1M bonus (late 1st round slot money) the year before. I want to see BOTH succeed with the Dodgers! At this very moment, I want to see LaRoche play a lot to see how he performs with regular playing time. I prefer to trade neither, rather than place all my future 3B eggs in one basket.

weak hits but they are line drives in the scorebook.
By scurtis1999@yahoo.com on July 23, 2008 12:19 PM
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Kuroda is not fooling anyone at this point.
By boblee14@yahoo.com on July 23, 2008 12:20 PM
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These cannot both be true. :)

What the hell’s wring with Kuroda? He looks like a batting practice pitcher. Finally we’re out of the inning. Come on guys. We’re facing a pitcher who can barely throw hard enough to break glass. Lets get some runs….

We need to get our pitchers the hell out of Colorado asap…. This is horse crap…. we can’t get anyone out. Even when we win and score 16 runs, we still gave up 10!! Then 10 more yesterday!! This has got to stop! On top of that, we only scored 1 run yesterday…. so, WTF HAPPENED TO OUR PITCHING!?!?

IMHO Honeycutt has hung on at least two years too long doing nothing to help our pitching staff. I’m especially worried now that Kersh will also be in his charge. The guy is a total waste and an a**h***.

I just looked back. In the last ten games, we’ve given up runs in the first inning in 8 of them. In the only two we held held the fort in the 1st, we ended up giving up 10 in the game (the last two, obviously). Eighteen runs in the first inning in the last 10 games.

You’re right, jhall, 2 runs won’t win the game. But this trend is crap. Or is it a new Torre strategy to throw batting practice in the first inning?

I’m tired of the crap about getting another 3rd baseman. Geez!! We haven’t even given LaRoche an opportunity to see what he can do. Start him everyday and then you can make an informed decision. I think he will produce given the opportunity. I don’t see a significant upgrade out there for any reasonable price. Send DeWitt to AAA and put him at 2nd.

Ok, WOULD ANYONE ON THIS BOARD LIKE TO PITCH? i’M pretty sure we could all do just about as well as our starters have done lately!!! I seriously hate playing the Rockies in Colorado… it’s such bullcrap, they are HORRIBLE at any other park…. but at home, they’re great. By the way, did the Cubs forget how to play, can they please beat the damn D-Backs!?!?

Everything they hit is just out of a Dodger’s reach. Everything we hit is right to someone for an out or a double play. This game sucks. You can never have to many runs here. The Rox should score a 1000 runs a year playing 81 games here.

Explain to me how in the hell…. they’ve got a 5-9 pitcher and he can beat us and hold us to 1 run on 4 hits… Today it’s Glendon Rusch who is 05 with a 123123.33 era lifetime against us…. and yet, our pitchers are getting obliterated, and we can’t seem to get back on track after Monday night? It makes no sense… This teams inability to hit and pitch at the same time is really wearing thin on me……

I remember a Dodger-Rockies game at Coors back in I think 1995 that Vinny often refers to that the Rockies won by a score of 16-15. It was a Sunday game that went 9 innings but lasted 4 hours. There were a ton of homers and I still recall the frustration on Mike Piazza’s face at the end of that game.

See, Ardoin talked about how important it was to be aggressive and throw strikes… In fact that’s what got Stults sent down… Kuroda is doing the same thing everyone else has done since we came back from the break… NOT THROW STRIKES!!! Out of 57 pitches only 37 have been for strikes…. Not a good ratio at Coors field.

You guys… How are we not killing a guy who has an era of almost 6!?!?!? It’s just frustrating watching our pitching stink it up, and our offense is doing much better since the break, but our pitching does not keep us in the damn game! I mean, we can still get back a few runs, I just wish that we could stop giving up 1st inning runs

Man, hard-hit balls, but nothin’.
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enchanted – in some cases I’d agree, but not with a mediocrity like Rusch on the mound. Later in the game, it’ll be a PH, not the pitcher, so the time to take advantage is in the earlier innings. Remember, there is a runner in scoring position.

Still think its a percentage move early in the game and at Coors fogey – Ardoin doesn’t exactly strike fear in anyone’s heart. He’d have to burn you on a consistant basis to justify not taking the chance. I’d do the same if it was Druw or Pierre batting eighth also.

The problem is that we’ve hit 1 homerun in this series…. Think about that… We’ve been outhit like 123123 to 20… and our pitchers era in the series is roughly 16.34, how do we have 1 homer in an entire series in Colorado!?!!?!?!? Name the most recent team to win a world series without any power at all? try it… just one….

We’re having a second consecutive quality start pitched against us by the Colorado Rockies… a team that is 14 games under .500 and the game is being played in the most offensive stadium in baseball history… I guess Monday night was out output of runs for the week? Month maybe…

Think its a hitter by hitter judgement call fogey. Certain guys, no way you don’t walk them instead. About the only guys I wouldn’t walk are Sweeney, Ardoin, Jones, Pierre and Berroa, and some of that wouldn’t hold up if it was late in the game.

Except for Jones, I’d always pitch to him. Worst hitter I’ve ever seen (confined to the current season that is.)

Gutty effort by Kuroda to go 6 after struggling early. I still recommend a huge losing streak for the Dodgers as the only sure fire way to keep the kids intact and cut the fat. My only other hope is that Frankie Boy is actually listening to Logan over the Nedster.

Not a bad chance there…. But this team pisses me off so bad sometimes… They show glimpses of being a proud, and hard fighting team with a bright future… Then at other times, their careless, and horrible, and show no signs of fight what so ever…. ARGH!!

Probably the closest would be the 63 and 65 Dodgers in answer to your question and right off the top of my head.
Brandon, Kent and the Cow are the power hitters that Ned has hitched his wagon to. LOL!!!! Time to sink or swim with them Ned.

I agree Scott, JoJo’s pathetic, and way too comfortable living out his retirement years while still wearing a uniform. And Kemp’s last strikeout will convince him that he can’t live without JP leading off.

It’s just so frustrating watching your favorite team day in and day out continue to struggle with the same obvious flaws… and The decisioons made to correct those flaws are just as much of a mess. How can there be teams like Boston, and the Yankees, and Angels, and so many other teams that compete yearly… We seem to have a let down every year. At the beginning of every year, I swear at least 5 or 6 analysts predict us to win the west…. Then we just find a way to SUCK…. All the while we’ve got a 115 Million dollar payroll… ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!?!?

The problem is the young players we all covet on this team are not natural power hitters. Some have shown potential to hit for power and maybe one or two might develop into hitting for more power. We all know the players who were supposed to provide power (Kent, Nomar, A. Jones) and nothing needs to be said about how that has worked out because it has been discussed in detail on this blog. Some timely hitting would go a long way toward solving some of our run scoring problems.

Someone take that fat ******* out back and put him out of his misery…. I’m through with this pice of useless garbarge…. PLEASE SOMEONE MAKE HIM JUST HAVE THE FLU AGAIN!!! I never thought I’d say this, but how soon before Pierre gets back!?!?!?! I don’t usually swear like this, but this is INSANE!!!

We cannot get a freaking hit with RISP. What does this team need? Oh, I remember, a new manager, a new GM, A new pitching coach, (Jury’s out on the hitting coach), otherwise we’re fine. Maybe the kids need a couple more years before we feel they are ready to do what we expect of them now.

You guys can sugar coat this however you’d like, you can call it a winnable division, or an up and coming team… and blah blah blah…. This team is consistent at one thing…. CONSISTENTLY UNDER .500!!! This whole team needs to be blown up and made over…. I don’t dislike Torre so much, but can we get some players in here who give a damn about winning and losing…. Would it be too much to ask for someone who might be able to hit the ball out of the ball park…. and one more thing…. GUYS THERE’S A REASON WHY WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET ABOVE THE .500 MARK FOR MONTHS…… WE SUCK!!

OK Were down to the last 3 outs. I hope they can pull it off. Sure would be nice to win the rubber game here. Lord knows there have been numerous blown opportunities in this one. That last inning really hurt!

If we don’t have a good home stand coming up and get some of these guys hitting with RISP and pretend that we want to win this division, we are headed south just like we did last year. If we start the skid like we did last year, the entire management division needs to be fired

and yes i am equally bent when Laroache K’s but his AB was good and we dont pay him all that money and he has been in that situation in the big leagues less than 50 times. sucks but it is what it is. jones is a stiff and how our owner allows him to even play is beyond me.

enchanted, I’m with you on Honeycutt. When Torre came on board he said he was keeping Honeycutt because Honeycutt was familiar with all the pitchers in the organization and he (Torre) wasn’t. Given the Dodgers lofty pitching stats there really isn’t a good argument to can Honeycutt…except GUT FEEL, which is Joe’s favorite way to manage, isn’t it? Like which outfielder will sit come Pierre time…or that the Dodgers can’t possibly win the West without Andruw contributing…or any of the PVLs, for that matter. As many of us have said ad nauseum on tghis site, thye Dodgers are NOT one or two players away from anything. It’s a time issue, not a player issue. Kershaw, Kemp, Loney, Ethier, Billingsley, etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc. these guys ARE the horses, but they’re still in the process of finding a major-league comfort level. They WILL find it. Just not today. And one last thing. Put me down in the anti-Boras column; he is neither good for baseball NOR his clients. Other than cold hard cash, when was the last time this guy placed his client in a position to succeed as a baseball player?

Too bad that a great come from behind win in AZ, and a good old fashioned butt kickin’ on Monday catapulted this team into two lackluster losses. Something’s missing, and whatever it is, JoJo and Ned aren’t providing.

Other than cold hard cash, when was the last time this guy [Boras] placed his client in a position to succeed as a baseball player?
By kpookiemon@aol.com on July 23, 2008 3:02 PM
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All-Star J.D. Drew is very happy with his World Series ring from last year, I think.

Is it just me, or does Ethier seem to struggle whenever four “healthy” outfielders are on the horizon? It’s obvious he succeeds best when given committment and support. Some players are just like that…some aren’t.

enchanted – Awesome song!!! I will be singing that in my head for a while.
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jnv – don’t hate me, but I got to sit and talk to Steve Garvey for about 15-20 minutes about the Dodgers and other stuff. It was incredible!!
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I didn’t see the game so I can’t comment on it, but we win some, we lose some. The good thing is they have tomorrow off and they also go home to face the Nats and the Gnats.

dodgereric… You’re naming guys who were on great teams…. That’s where you’re missing the point… Yeah, those guys hit 25 or so homers… I don’t know that anyone on this team will hit 20 to be quite honest…. We need to figure out who is capable of helping a major league team accomplish its goals and who is not and sort out the difference NOW…. This is getting to be insulting. We all feel the same way about one thing… We want the Dodgers to win…. Well, can we all agree on one thing? WE’RE NOT FREAKIN’ WINNING!!! answers? anyone? suggestions? ANYTHING? We don’t have a winning team right now. Some of these guys are NOT the answer… Some are, but mostly are NOT… This is just getting to be one of the most frustrating seasons I’ve ever experienced as a fan.

Yes Brandon, the first suggestion/answer is to fire Ned, the artist of this mess. Secondly, play the kids and get a real idea of what you’ve freaking got before you go making deals. That is the big reason we are in our current mess.

glendon freaking rusch?!?!?! how did we not win that game by at least 10 runs? andruw and laroche striking out on crap in the dirt with the tying run at second base makes me want to punch a newborn. anybody else going to the game this saturday? we’ll be just in time to watch odalis “cy young” perez throw a complete game shutout.

Very well said kpookiemon on all comments. I can’t figure out what’s happening with Ethier either (I didn’t have to plan that one – lol). Charlie did mention on the radio during the Arizona series that Mattingly was working with Ethier and Loney on getting more power up the middle, and then you mentioned confidence could be an issue too.

westernmost, I’m a fan of the Dodgers, baseball and sports in general. It’s not my job to make those decisions, I’m not paid to do it, and I don’t care who does it to be honest. But someone has to take charge and return this team to the capable hands in which it belongs. This is one of the most storied franchises in baseball history, and our managers and players are making it out to be a joke. Players should WANT to play for the Dodgers, the way they want to play for the Yankees. Our GM is on the way out the door as we speak, I can’t see anyone continuing to stand for mediocrity like this. This team has shown no fight or willingness to learn or any kind of give a damn…. And it’s frustrating, I’m sorry, but we’ve got every right as fans to expect to have someone have to answer for this debacle. This is not acceptable as some of you love to say. And on top of all of that, I’m just as stupid, because I keep coming back like a puppy to food…. This team has to do SOMETHING… sorry for the long post…. I’ve had to say the same damn thing way the hell too many times this year.

.I know we’re only a game out if the Cubs actually beat Arizona tonight. But do any of you honestly get the sense that this team has a snowballs chance in hell to accpmplish anything worth a damn this year?

Brandon, the Dodger teams that featured Piazza and Karros, two players who hit for power, still did not win a playoff game during their time with Dodgers. In fact, I recall that Karros was more of a contact hitter and they convinced him to sacrafice average for power, which he was able to do. I think he had a decent career, but my point is that hitting home runs does not guarantee wins. I will agree that having hitters who have the potential of hitting home runs does change the way pitchers deal with those hitters. As has been said many times before, the current team does not seem to have too many hitters that put fear into an opposing pitcher.

Regarding Boras, let’s not forget – if his clients make tons of money, he makes tons of money. Its in his best interests to get top dollar regardless of the situation. Think we can all agree he took advantage of Ned to the Nth degree for buying the snakeoil he was selling with Andruw.

The ’85 Cards were definitley power challenged…but I just researched their pitching; TWO 21-game winners and an 18-game winner. With almost 2/3 of the season gone the Dodgers don’t even have ONE pitcher with double-digit victories.

lBirken… I didn’t say I wanted a single guy who hit 73 homers…. I want a balanced offensive team, with a hitter in our lineup that can cause some havoc and maybe create some fear in the other team…. We don’t have anyone in our lineup that causes the other team to say ” Man, we really need to do our best to contain…..”

The Dodgers are once again are a big disappointment in the NL West and will probably finish two games above .500 like last year. Since the Dodgers are going nowhere this year, this is what the Dodgers need to do:

1.) Fire Ned Colleti – there is no refuting that Ned is incompetent as a manager.
2.) Make Logan White the GM – He knows talent. The only talent on this team is because of him.
3.) Trade Jeff Kent – We should get something for him and give him a last chance in the playoffs.
4.) Andy LaRoche should play second – He played second in the minors and we need to know if we have a second basemen for next year.
5.) Trade Derek Lowe – There are many teams out there which would give a couple of good prospects for him.
6.) Eric Stults back up to majors– He is a good pitcher and has an era of 3.18. Need to find out if he can consistently pitch in the majors. He can get another 7-8 starts before the end of the year.
7.) Clayton Kershaw back to AAA – He is not ready to pitch in the majors. Stop screwing him up for the future.
8.) Put Chan Ho Park back in the rotation – What is Joe thinking about? He has 2.59 ERA.
9.) Sit Andruw Jones down – He has had plenty of time to prove himself and he is done playing baseball. Let’s face it, he was on the juice.
10.) Play Delwyn Young – We need to know if he can make it in the majors. He has a 250 AVG and what can he do on a consistent base.
11.) Cut Mark Sweeney – He is taking up space. Right know anybody can come off the bench and perform better then him.

Seeeing as how the payoff window in baseball is home plate, who do you suppose are the Dodger leaders in RBIs and Runs Scored? The now semi-famous quartet of MartinLoneyKempEthier are the top four in BOTH catagories. So for all the blue, blue fans out there in cyberland today, take heart…the future is bright–if Ned doesn’t trade it away or if Joe doesn’t bench it.

Maybe HR-challenged, but the ’85 had in the middle of the order a .987 OPS guy (McGee) and a .995 OPS guy (Clark.)
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Their pen was good too. Tudor and Cox had great ERAs; Walking Underwear was just good enough to ride the team success, barely above league average ERA.

sitaufer, many GREAT points. But if Dodgers are truly looking to the future, as you allude to, I’d rather give the starts to Kershaw than Chan Ho. I don’t think his psyche is being bruised. He’s starting to get mad and that’s a GOOD sign.

sltaufer – here’s the problem. At worst, today will end with the Dodgers two games out in the NL West, behind a team that is 51-50. Even if the Dodgers miraculously make the playoffs, they should get swept out, but the Dodger management, top to bottom, will never perceive themselves as building for next year, unless the team completely tanks and/or the DBacks go on a tremendous tear.

The problem with Dodgers the last ten years is that it is like living with a drunk. You keep thinking it is going to get better, but it is not. We keep signing stupid Borrass clients who ruin our team year after year. Young good talent comes and goes. Some of them find their way to other teams and perform well. But where is this team going. We are not the Angels or the Red Sox. We are more like the Clippers then anything else.

jhall, couldn’t resist…looked up 1985 Royal stats. They had two guys with 30 HRs or more. One was Brett. Name the other without looking it up. I wouldn’t have gotten the answer in a million years, even if I lived that long!

The 88 Dodgers are a perfect example of not needing a monster home run hitter(s) to win it all. Generally it comes down to lights out pitching and playing good defense and fundamentally sound baseball.

The pitcher on that bad call at 1b in the ’85 WS was Todd Worrell who spent his early childhood on my street in Arcadia. I played with his younger brother Tim until they moved. Don Denkinger was the ump, no?

I missed this in Tony Jackson’s blog comments yesterday:
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Tony Jackson said:
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I have been told a definitive NO on [acquiring] Beltre because of his contract. And Dylan [Hernandez] wrote the other day that it’s NO on [acquiring] Huston Street, as well

Brandon, we all feel your pain and share your frustration. Some of us just attack the issues with a little less emotion and some even come up with some interesting ideas on what they would do. Keep up the support and don’t give up.

The one thing that would make our kids better, is the one thing we haven’t gotten all year – support from Ned’s PVLs. Other than Kent and Pierre marginally, we’ve gotten nothing. If Jones even put up Kent’s numbers this team would probably have a 5 game lead. If Sweeney comes through at a basic .200 as a PH, we’re probably an even 500 club, maybe +1. Worst of all is JoJo. Ned may have hired these clowns, but its JoJo that keeps playing them to the detriment of the team. And the sad thing is, is that JoJo actually believes them better than another alternative. Not much can be done with a GM that doesn’t know talent and a manager that won’t play it.

Well jhall, as you know, the ’85 Cardinals didn’t win the Series, but they did win the pennant.
Jack Clark 22
Andy Van Slyke 13
Willie McGee and Darrell Porter (?) 10 each.

“Name the most recent team to win a world series without any power at all? try it… just one….
By brandondaughrity@hotmail.com on July 23, 2008 1:55 PM”

“I noticed noone took me up on my challenge to name the last team to win the world series without a power hitter in their lineup? Hell, how about even a playoff game? When, and who was it?
By brandondaughrity@hotmail.com on July 23, 2008 2:20 PM”

“Still noone knows of a team to win a world series or even a playoff game without a power hitter in their lineup…. IT’S BECAUSE IT DOES NOT HAPPEN!!
By brandondaughrity@hotmail.com on July 23, 2008 2:41 PM”

“dodgereric… You’re naming guys who were on great teams…. That’s where you’re missing the point…
By brandondaughrity@hotmail.com on July 23, 2008 3:12 PM”

brandon, every one of those guys I mentioned were on teams that won the World Series that year. That was your challenge, right? I haven’t even considered ‘or even a playoff game’. It’s not straining the realm of possibility to have Kemp, Ethier, Martin or Kent end up with 20 – 25 apiece. But even if they don’t, there were two that didn’t get to 20, not counting the ’81 strike season. You asked for one. Here you go: the ’65 Dodgers had two with 12 apiece, we have two with 11 right now. Exactly how am I missing the point?

To attempt to answer your other question up there, “We need to figure out who is capable of helping a major league team accomplish its goals and who is not and sort out the difference NOW…. This is getting to be insulting. We all feel the same way about one thing… We want the Dodgers to win…. Well, can we all agree on one thing? WE’RE NOT FREAKIN’ WINNING!!! answers? anyone? suggestions? ANYTHING?”, you’re right, all of us on this blog want one thing. Win the World Series.

Several have already said, ‘fire Ned’. I agree. A great start. But I don’t think we can ‘sort out the difference now’. Most of the young players haven’t had a chance to really show if they are for real yet. It takes time. Most of the time, a team will have two or three guys break onto the roster in any given year and one or maybe two guys with a chance to break into the starting lineup. We have guys up right now (one exception) who could be the entire starting 8 with less than 2 years in the bigs:

Loney 1B
DeWitt 2B
LaRoche 3B
Young LF
Kemp CF
Ethier RF
Martin C

Bring Hu back or give DeJesus a shot and it’d be the entire 8. I don’t think we can judge any of these guys and say they are ABSOLUTELY ready now. OK, I’ll give you Martin. He’s for real. Ethier and Loney are really close and Kemp is right behind them, but only of those 3, only Loney has been the beneficiary of playing every day. Andre and Matt have been recently, of course, but we’re all sweating with Pierre returning. One of them will be without a spot. If Andruw shows ANY sign of life before Juan comes back, Matt will probably get the bulk of the ABs and Andre will sit, but neither will be a regular. We all know this.

It can’t be resolved now unless you start trading them off. I don’t want to trade any of them. My opinion. It kills me to see players leave this team only to do well elsewhere. It NEVER used to happen, well, almost never. I’m frustrated too. But I’m a lot more frustrated with management than the young players. There are no guarantees, no matter if you stick with the kids or trade them for vets. Proven vets have come here and bombed for whatever reason. Kevin Brown. Darryl Strawberry. Eric Davis. Andruw Jones. I could go on for a while, and so can you.

Anyway, I’ve already written ten times more than I set out to do. Be patient. Sit back. Have a beer. You’re obviously a great Dodger fan. We ALL are. In a couple of years we’re going to have a fine team that will contend for years and win some more banners for the outfield wall. And not those crappy division pennants that you see in places like San Diego. We hang the only ones that matter.

kpooklemon, I just got back on line and you stated Ethier/Loney/Kemp/Martin are the top 4 in runs scored and rbi’s. Yeah, that’s on the Dodgers. On most other teams that are in contention that wouldn’t be close to the top. I say this without checking all the stats but being in the top 4 in anything on the Dodgers don’t mean much in my opinion. Their names aren’t close to top 4 in the league…………………….

can andruw jones see? seriously…that guy has no idea of the strike zone. watching him and kemp bat followed by someone like eithier and russell is night and day.

neither jones or kemp have much plate discipline. nor does ryan howard, but he has nearly 30 hr and 100 rbi while not even flirting with .230.

jones needs to go on extended minor league rehab with his personal hitting instructor. let him stay till sept 1. maybe the players union (or course) would object, but he has no business batting anywhere but 8th. he strikes out no matter where you bat him, so bat him 8th – or make him a defensive sub. he unfortunately is about as close to being “shot” as a batter as I can remember….

Speaking of “sweating with Pierre returning”, here’s this from Diamond Leung’s blog:
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Juan Pierre will begin his rehabilitation assignment with Class AAA Las Vegas tonight and is expected to return to hit leadoff even after Matt Kemp had compiled a .393 on-base percentage in 18 games hitting there in the lineup.
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“He doesn’t give us the power that Kemp gives us, but he knows how to lead off,” Torre said of Pierre.
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“Hopefully the stuff he gained while batting leadoff will help him confidence-wise,” Torre said of Kemp.
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==========================================
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Last I checked, Tim Raines and Brett Butler still “know how to lead off” also, but I don’t want them in my lineup either.

boblee, I only give the stats to point out who are the real Dodger producers. I would never imply these stats are good enough to win a World Series..they aren’t even good enough to put a team over .500. But they ARE freaking good enough to warrent playing every day, a position “perhaps” Joe is finally warming up to after four months of stubborn myopia. Remember, I said the FUTURE is bright. The present is a record of 49-52, thanks in large part to Joe, Ned and their madcap, zany, wonderful, wacky collection of useless PVLs.

Before today, Loney/Kemp/Martin/Ethier ranked 31, 35, 45, 50 in the NL in RBI. There are 16 teams in the NL, so with even distribution, that looks like low-end second-tier, or third-tier guys. Of course, some of them have less plate appearances than they should, and having JP and his overall .327 OBP batting 1 or 2 most of the season, and Kent’s .308 OBP smack in the heart, don’t help generate opportunities either. Not to mention a fair number of PAs behind Jones too.

enchanted – “Outmaker”? That sounds like a Rolling Stones song.
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[“Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)”]
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The GM in Dodger Nation
He chased the fans right outta the park.
And with his bad talent evaluations,
He put Juan Pierre through their hearts.
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Outmaker, at .294,
You’re gonna tear our team apart.
You Outmaker, at .294,
You’re gonna tear our team apart.
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31-year old centerfielder,
Stuck a needle in his [backside]?
He flails in the dirt of the batter’s box;
Vin Scully said he had no chance, no chance!
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Outmaker, Outmaker
Your strikeouts stab right in my heart.
Outmaker, Outmaker
Stole the money out of McCourt!
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Outmaker, Outmaker
You stole the money out of McCourt!
Outmaker, Outmaker
You should retire from the sport.
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Doo, doo doo doo doo doo doo, doo doo doo….

hi guys i’ve been reading ITD for the past weeks and today i figured out how to post. lol
i think ur a bunch of wize ppl, n the songs are hilarious.
i agree w/ most of ur opinions, but i do have one question

Before reading ITD i thought that old man torre was our salvation. that we needed the experience that our pvls (how cool i used the accronym) brought to the team. but i have been enlightened by the wise thoughts and comments shared by the “itd”ers. now i see the evil of ned, jojo, n the money loving boss…whose sole purpose in life is to get $$$, play old guys, n limit the growth of our young guys, n prolonging the glory that LA is destined to achieve in the upcoming decades. but then again wat can we expect from a yankee manager, and a giant gm, our mortal enemies…

Fogey got me to thinking with his Heartbreaker/outmaker song. I’m thinking a little more Pat Benatar:

OUTMAKER
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Your outs mount like a tidal wave, spinnin’ out of control
Drownin’ us with Joe’s crummy vet’rans really takes its toll
You’re the wrong kind of hitter, to battin’ leadoff for this team
The unwalkable sinner and we know that you are gonna be
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You’re an outmaker
Dream taker, non-raker
Don’t you mess us up J P
You’re an outmaker
Dream taker, non-raker
Don’t you mess us up – NO NO NO!
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Your bunts are a real disaster, push ‘em back to the mound
Slappy pop-ups hit to left and center, can’t stay on the ground
You’re the wrong kind of hitter, to be battin’ leadoff for this team
A real Mayer weiner, and we know that you are gonna be
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You’re an outmaker
Dream taker, non-raker
Don’t you mess us up J P
You’re an outmaker
Dream taker, non-raker
Don’t you mess us up – NO NO NO!
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You’re the wrong kind of hitter, to be battin’ leadoff for this team
A real Mayer weiner, and we know that you are gonna be
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You’re an outmaker
Dream taker, non-raker
Don’t you mess us up J P
You’re an outmaker
Dream taker, non-raker
Don’t you mess us up J P
You’re an outmaker
Dream taker, non-raker
Don’t you mess us up J P
You’re an outmaker
Dream taker, non-raker
Outmaker!

its the legendary enchanted!!!!
its a pleasure to be part of ITD, and as a new member I will gladly offer my services if anyone ever decides to drive a stake through the heart of colleti, he is a vampire right, how else can u explain him sucking so much?

buenos noches mis amigos! (I only know spanish, it’s all I have to offer)
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Ok i missed the game today, except for the score. The repeat just cam on and we are tied 2 to 2. What happened today? when/why did it fall apart? Can I get an update por favor? Gracias!

enchanted – you are legendary!!! I always knew you were, but it looks great in writing :) FABULOUS SONG!!!
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jungar – Torre is an idiot, and that is all I can say anymore. If he can’t see that Kemp and Ethier belong at the top together, than he is just an idiot.
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Manny – A very huge welcome!!! I see you have already met some of the main characters of ITD – :)
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westernmost – SPECTACULAR SONG FROM YOU AS WELL!!
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jhall – I’m back – kids are tired and I am the one who stays since I am a horserace junkie and the horses don’t get going until the morning. Hubby plays the big bucks!! LOL!!
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Hi Amy – haven’t read your post, but I will get there. :)

haha. Thank enchanted. such a sucky feeling to lose when you know we should win.
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Good evening Dnelly. i hope your day went well. I just got here tonight. I’ve been away from Dodger baseball all day :(

Amy – I got to meet Steve Garvey today, and it was a 15 minute conversation about Dodgers and life in general. Plus I got a picture, his book “My Bat Boy Days”, and a baseball card signed. So, even though our boys lost today, it was a very good Dodger day for me. Thanks for asking. I didn’t get to see the game ethier (either).

Wow Dnell. What a wonderful Dodger day it was for you!! My mom and I were at the stadium earlier this season and Steve Garvy walked by and my mom reached out her hand and we saw her but was going to keep walking. My mom said “some on steve” and he stopped and shook her hand. I thought it was funny that I can say that my mom bullied Steve Garvey into shaking her hand :)

Today was ok. Encountered some work drama today, that wasn’t fun at all. I worked really hard, thus missing the gameday Dodger stats. But i did treat myself to a pedicure afterwork. foot massages can do wonders.
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how long are you in Vegas for? what’s the occasion (if i may ask?) because you just got back from LA and SD! i can tell you are enjoying your summer vacation. gotta love being a teacher!

hey manny. it’s always good to have new friends. Just don’t be mean to JP and we will be fine ;) Let’s hope not. Maybe an off day means rest and mental focus so they can win when i see them play this weekend.
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I am DYING to go to the stadium Friday to see our boys return, but i cannot find a single person who will go with me. This is very frustrating!!! i am soo looking forward to this homestand. I hate being away from live dodger games. it’s become my second home this year :)

Pedicures – how nice that sounds. The trip to LA/SD was with my girlfriend. Now I am with my family. My husband went to UNLV and we now have friends who live here. Plus, we used to live here when we first got married. We come here every summer to see them and they usually come to us in the fall/winter. It’s easier for us to come here in the summer because the pools are all up and running, and we have teenage kids, and it gives them things to do. I will be back on Saturday, and then my mom and I are coming to the dbacks series the following week. That will be my last big trip, and then it’s back to school for me to get ready for another group of 1st graders.

Good evening ITD boys and girls,
It’s been a while, I know. Painting is tiring work! I saw Monday night’s game; great game!!! Just to follow it with the last 2 lackluster games, well, I’m glad that I didn’t see too much of them. But I saw enough to make me ill. I thought after the come-from-behind 9th inning win in AZ and the game on Monday, I thought we would be on a roll. I was wrong. Again.

With all these trade rumors going on, I really don’t know what to make of any of them any more. I know I was in (a little bit) on the trade talks earlier, but now I’m just tired of hearing this rumor or hearing that rumor. Right now, everything is making me ill.

Welcome Manny! I know you’re kinda new here; great to get another regular here. I’m semi-regular. I read all the time, but post so often. Right now I’m in a painting the house mode so I won’t be posting all that much.

hey manny-
i was just about to say how cool it was to have another young guy on here thinking i was 18, then i realized i just turned 20…sill young of course but it was funny cause i started reading this a few years back and forgot i was older.
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oh and your first post.
“okay, so jones gets a double and a walk and he gets his own article…
being an endangered species certainly has its perks, freakin blue whale!!!!”
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………….GOLDEN………..
might be the best first post ive seen

Just tired dnel. Tired of painting. Tired of trade rumors. Tired of lackluster Dodger performances. My husband and I went to see Batman today. We liked it but as far as comic heroes are concerned, both of us actually prefer Superman… :)

Painting does that to you :) With the trade rumors running rampid on tv, print and on line, it’s really hard to tell what is what. I think the team will bounce back when they get back home. They will be very glad to get out of Colorado and be back home again to face the Nats and Gnats.

yeah dnel. I’m glad to get out of CO. I really thought that after the way they beat AZ that they would be in sole possession of 1st place, but NOT.

Hey, this’ll perk you up. Reed Johnson from the Cubs just hit a grand slam into the pool in AZ; they lead 10 – 4. Bob Melvin doesn’t make any sense to me. He brings in Micah Owings – a starting pitcher – in to relieve today and once before and why??? I’m not going to argue; at least the Dodgers will only be 1 game out after tonight.

amy- yeah i’ve been reading this blog 4 a while and its way better than the the dodger thing in myspace…lol
tooo many imature people there
thanx 4 the compliment but my first post was
“was that andruw?”
when he got that monthly extra-base hit.
but none the less, i appreciate it. and dont worry, 20 is still young

CP – not sure what’s happening to Andre. He seemed to have a better day today. I guess on should have been a homerun and then got pushed back in by the wind. He has been striking out more than usual and that is of concern for him I’m sure. He still has good numbers for the month so hopefully he can finish out the month strong heading into July, if he’s playing like he should – that remains to be seen I guess :)

manny – Ethier, Martin, Loney are my favorites and in that order. I do like Matthew, too, but I will leave Amy for that job. Ethier is way out there in front right now, so I will get a little testy when he is benched for Andruw and JP, just so you know. So, where are you going to school?

I didn’t see too much of the last 2 games, but I’ve heard about what’s been happening to Andre. When Pierre gets back, I REALLY hope that Torre does the right thing and leaves Matty and Dre where they are. Pierre can be in the lineup; just not leading off. Druw, well, what can I say about him that would sound somewhat positive – NOTHING!!!

dnel- i am, but i’m not good enough to play college ball. i love baseball but im hispanic so i grew up with soccer, im pretty good at that but not college good.
i started watching dodger games 8 years ago i believe, when green, karros, grudzilanek, nomo, and park where here. i didnt understand the game but i loved to watch it. i became a fan in the izturis, cora, beltre, loduca days. n i’ve been a fan since.

manny – gotcha!! There are both UCLA and USC fans here. I like USC football and UCLA basketball. I am a nor-cal resident who lives with gnat fans. I have been a Dodger fan since I was born because I grew up with it.

parental influence, and determination never to become a gnats fan like the rest of my family. There are a few of us from norcal (jnv and northstateblues to name a couple frequenters around here).
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gnats did win :(

Good evening June! Not too bad of a day today. A few things happened. My adding machine broke. I don’t know what I would have done if I didn’t have my slide rule with me. Our perculator overflowed and we didn’t get any more coffee. Pete lost his tie clip. Stuff like that.

manny – I would hope you would be a Bruin fan now :) I have no ties to ethier (either) school other than my brother in law attended USC – I attended Sac State, and sports weren’t a big deal when I was there so I followed alot of Pac 10 schools. ASU/Fullerton for baseball BTW

Sorry to hear about your day. Vegas is what it is. I am not a gambler by nature, but we come here for friends. I do a little horse racing and that is my fix for the year. We mostly hang out by the pool, and I am getting a lot of reading done, both for school and pleasure. I began reading Steve Garvey’s book “My Bat Boy Days”. Did you hear I got to meet him today by total coincidence of being in the right place at the right time?

dnel- that’s cool, the more the merrier, n yeah im a bruin fan now =], b4 i got accepted to UCLA i wanted to go to Davis, and sac state was another option, but hey i get to stay and root for the boys in blue =]

dodgereric- hi nice to finally meet u..thanx, n yessir i am an avid martin fan, im really glad he got his rest 2day, he should be fresh for friday

eric – the boys must have gone to bed. I am sure Beav is really tired out from his trip and Wally, you know, he is always three hours ahead of schedule. There was a lot of excitement on this board today. I wish these next 7 days go really fast before Ned does something stupid. You do realize you are going to have to have your song ready for the weekend, and you are supposed to be going to the game on Saturday, aren’t you?

Yeah, I did catch that! Major kudos! Next time you see him, tell him to rip that 6 off Torre’s uni!

I learned my lesson in gambling a long time ago, so I don’t do much of it either. I work too hard for my money and it goes away WAAAAAAAAAY too quickly. I saw penny slots in Tahoe. I thought I’d see 40 cent gas again before I’d see a penny slot machine.

Nice to meet you too, Manny! You picked a good one to like. He’s a very impressive player. If he wasn’t such a great backstop I’d be tempted to put him at 2B next spring to keep him around longer.

Yeah June, I looked in at the boys and I see they’re both in their rooms. But they’re not sleeping. They’re sitting up with their sheets pulled over their heads and they have flashlights. Did I see Theodore running up the stairs with magazines?

I got to take one a few pictures with Garvey and I had my Ethier jersey on so he made me for one picture hide the one as just to show the six. He did say he really liked Andre, but I don’t know too many people that don’t like Andre. I did think about Torre wearing that number, however, but I didn’t know about the JP news then.

Oh, the song! Well, I have to leave here around 5 on Saturday. I doubt the lineup will be out before then, even if I’m online before I go. Feel free to take my place if you desire. Click on my cloud tag and scroll about halfway down. You’ll find it there.

I may not be home by then ethier (either), but I should be. I guess we will know more on Friday about how things will unfold for the weekend, but it doesn’t look good. Alot of underseved playing time I’m afaid.

enchantedsunset–There are two posts you made which I just wanted to emphasize. First, if Logan White has that much influence, he really should be GM. That’s not a knock on Ned at all. Love him or hate him, if as the owner you have a different philosophy than the GM, then you need to get a new one. If you and the GM are not on the same page, it does not matter who the GM is, it won’t work.
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During the O’Malley era, they left the baseball to the baseball people, with the GM at the top–Buzzie Bavasi, Al Campanis, and Fred Claire. That’s a fine way to do it, but those were guys who basically learned baseball from Branch Rickey and there was a Dodger Way. McCourt is still feeling around for that. But if he has found it in Logan White, Ned could be a genius and it still does not work.
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Second, you mentioned the PVL’s not coming through. I think that’s immensely true. Both on the field and off (though, except for Kent, the on-field stuff makes it impossible for them to be off-field leaders, and off-field leadership is just not Kent’s game). That’s a big difference between now and 2006. Nomar was a leader who had a great (or at least good) year. Maddux came over and did it. So it’s both production and teaching, and the coaching staff has yet to make up for that.
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Brandon–I share your passion, but I do view our situation differently. First, as people pointed out, Gibson had 25 home runs in 1988 to lead the team. That’s not “a lot” in view of the steroids era, but for a clean era in Dodger Stadium, that’s quite a bit (remember, before Mike Piazza came, the most home runs in a single season was 33). Also, the 1988 team had only one All-Star, and he did not even play (or, pitch–it was Orel). The team had the Manager of the Year, the MVP, and the Comeback Player of the Year (Tim Leary), and none of them played in the midsummer classic.
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So, my point is, it’s possible.
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But my real points are this–I think we have very sound building blocks. There are 7 players (Martin, Loney, Kemp, Ethier, Billingsley, Broxton, and Kershaw) who I would not trade under any circumstances. They get paid relatively little (Martin leads at $500,00), and are controlled for several more years. But mostly, they are alredy good players and are incredibly young. I think that the power hitters we need are on the team right now–just not yet exploded. Russ can hit 15 HRs consistently. Loney and Ethier could hit 25. And Kemp–I don’t consider him to have a limit. LaRoche (who I would not want to trade, but don’t consider untouchable) has had better power in the minors than them all, and could be a huge slugger too.
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And we’re 1 game out. If I am right, these kids are going to really break out. We won’t even really realize it until it has happened, but if I am right one day we will look up and see they are obvious All-Stars. And if that happens in the second half–if that is under way right now–they could win the division and blow through the playoffs.
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Now, that might not happen. But, I am patient. We’ve waited 20 years for a championship, but I can wait one more. And I would rather wait one more because most of the last 20 years has been defined by incredibly poor decision-making (not just Ned–DePo, Evans, Malone [ughh–I mean, I understand the calls to fire Ned, but remember this guy?], and sadly Tommys short stint and whatever was going on with Fox, and Fred Claire). Too often, we tried to make some deal to catch a pennant in a given year, but we’ve come up short. Only from 1993-1997 did we ever really get a game plan for a long term and try to build a team. And we did it within th organization.
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That 1993-97 era rally came on by accident. In 1992, I had to stage a write-in campaign for Eric Karros because Kal Daniels–KAL DANIELS–was slated as our starting first baseman. Between craziness like that, Darryl Strawberry’s implosion, and other junk, we had not other option, and turned it over to the farm system which produced a Hall of Famer, and 4 other rookies of the year, 3 of whom were really solid players. And we won the West in 94, 95, got a Wild Card spot in 96, and just missed the division in 97. And we had built a team ready to compete until the idiots at Fox blew it up on that horrible day in May 1998.
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So, I can wait one more year because I don’t want us to just win the World Series one year and then spend another 20 years in the wilderness. I want a team that is a championship contender every year, and that is going to require patience. If you give our young guys–our team’s best producers–the same type of consistency you ask of them, and give them until they are–I don’t know, as old as Mike Piazza was when he came up (remember, Piazza was 25 his rookie year), I think they produce. But if they don’t, then you can start making adjustments (and, by the way, there is another generation coming up soon too).
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If a year from now we have given them the chance and they aren’t ding it, then I may well be calling for the same thing of blowing up the team. But right now, I am inclined to be patient. I think that this team could start clicking at any moment (the 2006 team was just in the pits in late July, and it surged), and if it doesn’t, I am prepared to wait until 2009 because I think we are on track (if Ned does not blow it) to have a dynasty.

leefink – you continue to amaze me with your posts. I don’t think you have ever written one post that I have not thoroughly enjoyed reading. I agree with absolutely every point you made ( I usually do), but Wow!!! you continue to impress. Bravo to you!!!

eric – as for the gambling thing. We wouldn’t be in the hotel room at 8:30 at night if we had any desire to throw away our money. By living here, we have learned to stay away, except for the occasional hour or so during the day, and even then, it’s very minimal. We do like going to the shows, however, so tomorrow we are going to see KA – Cirque de Solei. We saw the Beatles one last year, and Mama Mia the year before that.

Yeah nells, hit a brick wall about 10:00, then woke up at 11:30 and was hot, hungry, and the allergies had kicked up. Now that I’ve had a few Triscuits and some OJ, I’ll be hittin’ it again in 5-10 minutes.

I’ve got no problem unloading Lowe and Kent for some prospects Max. Not sure about Cabrera though. Definitely down for Maddux – I wanted that back in June. I just can’t see messers. Lowe, Penny and Schmidt imparting any meaningful wisdom to our young pitchers.

I just noticed that the players by the Dodgers en Esponal picture have been changed! FINALLY! It used to be Jones, Russ and Penny now it is Billz, Kemp and Russell. Perfect selection. Glad to see the Dodgers go something right.

They were talking about Spam on the radio on the way here. I guess there is some big festival in Texas that was cancelled for the 2nd time in 30 years because the festival made fun of the product. Then they went on to talk about how it is eaten in Hawaii.

The Dodgers, needing a shortstop and late-inning reliever, talked with the Nationals about both Cristian Guzman and Jon Rauch, but wouldn’t part with Class AA shortstop Ivan DeJesus Jr. in a deal for Guzman, according to a source with knowledge of the discussions.

I was looking for a bit that he did where he played a magician. He brought out that little old bald man, who knelt down on the stage. Hill covered him with a sheet. He was feeling his head with one hand while his assistant brought out this red lace pillow with two knives on it. He picked one without looking at it. The assistant tried to get his attention, but failed. Hill plunged the knife into the old man’s ‘head’, but obviously a cantalope or something like it. The man slumpped to the stage and two guys came out and dragged him off by the feet. Hilarious stuff, but I couldn’t find it.

With nearly 2/3 of the season gone, this year’s passion play has got to be Andruw. Even the national media shake their collective heads. It’s really tragic…but comical at the same time. It’s like watching some weird show. You EXPECT him to look bad at the plate. When he gets a hit there’s a certain feeling of being cheated. It’s almost as if his failure is Ned’s failure.

I hope so too, Ward – good night, and I will talk to you in the morning, dear. It’s been a long day for everyone today it seems. Let’s hope our Dodgers get some well deserved rest and come home ready to play some Dodger Baseball.
Good night :)

“Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Juan Pierre began a rehab assignment Wednesday at Class AAA Las Vegas and could be activated from the disabled list as early as this weekend. Batting leadoff for the 51s, Pierre went 2-for-2 with a double in an 11-6 triumph over the Omaha Royals. The 30-year-old also walked and scored a pair of runs.”

I’m sure everyone has seen this comment
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“””But Torre said that Jones is able to implement changes suggested by Mattingly and Pentland during batting practice, but can’t take the changes into the game, instead falling back into his bad habits.

Jones blames most of his recent problems on opposing pitchers.

“The curveballs they throw me are basically unhittable,” he said. “The best I can do is foul off. I’m working to stay inside the ball and maintain my balance.””””

If the curveballs are unhittable why the hell does he keep swinging at them out of the strike zone. I’m not sure Mattingly and Pentland have enough time the rest of this season to straighten out Jones problems…

Boblee – I really hope Torre benches is *ss when JP comes back. The Dodgers can’t afford to have Jones out there taking BP while the rest of the Dodgers are trying to win a game.
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Kalhi – are you being sarcastic?

Getting Guzman would be a pretty long term solution at short. Ergo, if they won’t trade DeJesus to get him, why then is DeJesus not playing short now?

Oh boy, can hardly wait for JP to comeback. He’ll go 3-4 games getting on at a clip that a leadoff man should, then start stinking it up as usual, but JoJo will still think he’s performing well. Of Course Jones will be getting a sporadic hit here and there, so JoJo will say he’s “making progress” and keep playing him. Meanwhile Dre and Matty get to alternate riding the pine.

My prediction – JoJo’s inability to recognize the obvious leads the D’s to flounder finishing third to the Snakes and the surging Rox.

Torre was quick to say, though, that with hitting coach Don Mattingly and roving hitting instructor Jeff Pentland working with Jones and getting him to buy into the adjustments they are asking him to make, the time to bench Jones isn’t immediately.

“It’s still (too) early for me,” Torre said. “It’s one thing to

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practice, but it’s a second thing to go out there and play games and try to put that into practice. I don’t think he has had enough time for that yet.”
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.http://www.dailybreeze.com/sports/ci_9965876
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Why? How can you bench your two best outfielders for a player who is out there for no other reason right now than to take BP?

ANY other ML city and the media and the fans would be clamoring to ride Torre out of town on a rail for playing the likes of JP and Jones over Dre or Matty. If Druw hasn’t had enough time, why then did they allow him to come off the rehab early? It wasn’t like DY was doing a bad job. JoJo only sees what JoJo wants to see. Any vet that tells him he can play gets the benefit of the doubt, and a month of stinking up the place just to prove they can’t do it. Even then JoJo will still play them over more talented players.

If this team hasn’t been a model of dysfunction, I don’t know what has: a GM that’s ineffectual; a manager who refuses to play the better players; an owner who can’t hire the right personel to achieve his goals for the team; an assistant GM who constantly stocks the farm with talent that rarely gets a chance to achieve their true potential; PVLs that are so far gone they should be retired; young guns that have to look over their shoulders rather than concentrate on getting better, while also getting slammed in the media…

There needs to be some “off with their heads” mentality around here starting with Ned and JoJo. Just those two being replaced would right 90% of the ship.

My opinion – trades have to pass through so many approvals on this team that in the end, nothing major gets done. I’d like to see us get something for Lowe, and Kent for that matter, but I don’t think Frank trusts the Nedster anymore.

Those numbers make sense to me, but, do they make sense to Ned? Nevermind, stupid question. Anyways, I was checking out Slappy’s obp in the lead off role compared to Kemp’s obp. Kemp’s is 100 points higher!! Torre is still putting Phew back into the leadoff spot. I guess Torre doesn’t believe in numbers, it’s more about instinct to this clown.

good morning friends.
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If they trade away my Kemp I will explode! It would be the end…
Please don’t to it Ned. Please!!!
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I had to leave last night, but I just wanted to clarify to Manny and Cpompe- I am NOT 20. I am 24- the same age group as Russy, Matt, and James :) Manfromchina said he was 20. I am the right age for those hunky Dodger boys. lol. :)
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Glad to see that we are all being friends and no one’s getting in trouble by Josh. Doesn’t it feel good to be free from bad words :)
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Hope you all have a beautiful day. I’ll try to pop in as much as I can.

Has anyone looked at the Dodgers’ September schedule? One series against Arizona, one against the Rockies, and the rest against SF, SD, and Pittsburgh. With a schedule like that, they could easily win 17-21 of their last 29 to make a run for the division. Not that I’d be that excited to make the playoffs with this group of players (i.e. without upgrades), but hey, it could be a real possibility. Torre et al. just might snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Here’s my part 1 of my solution for the rest of the season, if I were the owner. I think this plan allows us to see what we have with certain players and I also believes it will inspire the team, remove any negativity and help us win the division:

DFA Andruw Jones. Time to cut our losses and admit that once again, we got bamboozled by Scott Boras. First he says his problems were due to a hyper-extended elbow, then he comes to Spring Training overweight, but assures everyone his offensive woes were because he was “too light” last season. Then suddenly, it was his knee. Got that fixed and now it’s the opposing pitchers throwing unhittable curveballs. What’s next? The guy is OVER. Teams have noticed that his speed and defensive skills have eroded so he’s liability on two counts.

Convince Jason Schmidt & Mark Sweeney to call press conferences and announce their retirements. This way we won’t have to DFA three players in one week. I’d suggest Druw do the same, but we all know Scott Boras won’t go for that as he’ll be on the phones to other GMs for his client’s service [Insert PT Barnum quote here]

Trade Derek Lowe. We need to get some value for him, before he walks next year, so have Logan &/or Ng try and find a quality pinch hitter to come off the bench, who batting average is less than his playing weight.

Fire Ned Colletti. No explanation needed. Just look at his track record. No one has any confidence in this lame duck GM and his presence is hurting the team. Time to move on to baseball people who truly get it like Logan White or Kim Ng.

Call Juan Pierre’s mom, er, I mean his agent and tell her that Juan’s role is going to be the 4th OF, pinch runner, Official Dodger Dugout Cheerleader. The first interview I read where Slappy mouths off about the playing situation and he’s on the next bus to Modesto.

Inform DY he’s the starting LF. This kid can flat out HIT. Time for him to show us what he’s got. Inform Kemp and Ethier they are the starting CF and RF for the rest of the season and will remain in the lead off and #2 spots in the line-up, with Martin hitting 3rd. Watch as the confidence of all three players soars. Multiple chest bumps and high fives to follow.

Trade Jeff Kent to the AL I respect him as a future HOF, so I’ll trade him to an AL contender. However I need to move on. JK will understand. Tell Blake DeWitt that he’s the 2B for the rest of the season. Inform Andy LaRoche he’s at 3B for the rest of the year. Go out and play hard.

Bring up Ivan De Jesus from AA to be the back up Shortstop behind Nomar. Give him at least one game per series to start and bring him in as a defensive replacement for Nomar in the later innings.

Keep Ozuna as an IF/OF replacement , and send Berroa to AAA.

IMO we’re not going to find a quality Shortstop before the trade deadline and we don’t know the status of Raffy. He may be able to come back 100% before the season is up and perhaps we can work it out to re-sign him. If not the best option is to just to WAIT until AFTER the season. By that time, we will know more Raffy and also about the level of play we can expect from DeJesus. Worst case scenarios, we’ll also have more $$ to use toward a FA.

Call a team meeting and present Russell Martin with a new 55 jersey with a “C” for Captain sewed on.

scott – my son still lives in LaVerne, and I’ve an aunt that still lives in west Arcadia. Was out in L.A. to help out my son, and visited my aunt while I was there. Had someplace to go in Duarte after I left her house, and found myself on Duarte Rd going past Taco Lita. I am amazed that place is still there after all these years.

Good Morning, again!
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enchanted – Torre is an absolute idiot to change things now as far as the lineup,and putting Andruw out there is down right insulting to say the least.
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Obi – fabulous write up and thinking!!! – thanks!!
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Good Morning, Amy and Scott!!
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thunderbolt – 99% of us would be reported for abuse on this board – lol!!!

Hello,
I’ve always read everyone’s comments on here but I’ve never posted one. Now is the time. We’re all frustrated. VERY VERY FRUSTRATED. My dad claims I’ve been a dodger fan since I was born, but my earliest memories of the Dodgers are back in the glory days of the 80’s. I was only 5 but I clearly remember 88. Since then my heart has been consistently broken year after year.
I’m to the point where I’m ready to just throw up my hands and take up knitting rather than watching ball games. Ned Colletti MUST be fired. Every single one of his acquisitions have been a HUGE bust. We ALL know this. All of the rumors flying around about trades include washed up has beens or guys who aren’t doing any better than Cheeseburger Jones. Is there a petition or something that we can start to get this former Giant fired? Maybe its the conspirator in me, but part of me thinks he’s purposely ruining our ball club with injured/washed up players because he’s a former Giant. I know there are mixed opinions about Joe Torre and he has led me to scratch my head but in the words of our man Vin Scully “Just when Joe thought he’d seen it all, he put on a Dodger uniform”. He really is a great manager. Anyone who can handle the likes of Jeter and A-Rod in a club house is top notch in my book. Think about it rationally, he’s not up there swinging the bats for our terrible offense. YES, IT’S TERRIBLE. It’s almost as if he’s backed up into a wall by putting Jones in because of his ridiculous paycheck. Its like putting a CEO on Administrative Leave because company revenues are down. Its a tough decision! However, part of me does think that if I were in Joe’s position, I’d take the heat and bench the Bum.
I don’t know what to think anymore. All I know as long as Ned is in the office it looks like we’re just doomed. Sigh…

BTW I saw some posts to trade for Sizemore…I would give my first unborn child to see him in a Dodger Uniform…

Anyone of any power in the Dodger org reading this, Sizemore does not have a no trade clause in his contract….lets do something big this year instead of acquiring Betemit version 2.0 for some our valuable players.

“Dodgers have an interest in Robinson Cano and might be willing to deal Derek Lowe and outfielder Matt Kemp, but the Yankees aren’t inclined to part with the red-hot second baseman unless there is a front-of-the-rotation-type starter coming to The Bronx. Lowe, who has the stomach for big games and has AL East experience with the Red Sox, doesn’t fit that bill.

Kemp, 23, would be viewed as a replacement for Bobby Abreu in right field next year. Kemp is batting .287 (104-for-362) with 11 homers and 55 RBIs in 94 games this season. His biggest downside is striking out 107 times.”

Welcome ericaadriane!! Some of us dream of having Grady in our lineup. And, no, you are not the only one who thinks of conspiracy theories. It is sometimes the only thing that makes sense in what this management does sometimes. I am thoroughly frustrated with this whole thing right now, especially the issue in the outfield. If you have been reading this for any length of time, you would know that I am an Ethier “Super Fan”, and I think he deserves to be out there as one of the two best outfielders on this team. He and Matt compliment each other so well, both in the field and their 1,2 batting order. Why in the h*ll would Torre want to change that.

It’s a dream erica, and that was me who said it. Jhall lives in Ohio, so we always talk about how Grady is doing and wishing he could be a Dodger. If it is possible to get rid of JP and Jones then I would love to have an outfied of Ethier, Sizemore and Kemp – Wow!!!

I have to agree with obi_wen and his HUGE post. These players need to know they are going out there every day. What are they supposed to think when they get blasted by coaches and media for hitting .285 and crappy players like Jones and Pierre are applauded for working hard and “trying” or “‘having a plan”.

Fire Joe
Fire the guy who hired Joe
Fire the guy who hired the guy who hired Joe

Lowe, unless he’s insisting on a trade, isn’t likely going anywhere when your stretch rotation consists of Kuroda (two bad starts in a row again), Kershaw (overmatched in the ML and still looking for his first win), Billz (closest thing we have to an ace, but not consistant enough to be labeled “ace” yet), and messers. Johnson/Park/Penny. Unless you get a decent rotation guy (and reports are that they nixed a Sabathia deal already), Lowe can loosely be termed the “anchor”.

Those Cano rumors are just idle daydreams coming from New York to amuse themselves. Hey here’s one – Lowe for ARod. Or how about Kent for Cano? I don’t think Frank trusts Ned enough to let him trade Kemp for anything.

Rumors are fun and all but we have a man who will put a guy who has a .294 obp as a leadoff man back at leadoff and take a guy out of there who is hitting .405 his last 5 games out of there after being asked to take one for the team even though he wouldnt be able to know how and will k to much and every other negative thrown at the guy, by our own management who is 23 and he succeeds in hitting in 17 of 19 games and getting on base at 100 points higher while hitting the ball out of the ******* infield. Oh I am not suppossed to swear.. and he is rewarded by being moved out of there. And if you dont care about rewards then why would you mess with something that is working. I vote no confidence in Torre. He’s a joke. Cant wait till Ethier is benched again in favor of a Jones/Pierre/Kemp OF. What on earth would make me think that wouldnt happen. After all we need andruw Jones to win. Why on earth would any manager proclaim something like that with a 125 million dollar payroll in May. Retards.

Dnel- It’s great how you come right out and show Andre love to all the new people :)
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Yea, we don’t want anything to happen to out Kemp- Ethier partnership! They’ve been incredible for us. I do want to see Matt in Center and Andre in right field. That’s what I prefer.
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P.S to the world. I am a huge Matt Kemp fan!! lol

I keep telling people here that the best thing that can happen to Dodger fans is the Dodgers losing and falling out of contention quick. As hard as that is to endure, the result would be no stupid trades for a pennant run and the firing of Ned and promotion of Logan White.

Oh no no…Taco Lita?!
My husband is from Temple City. It’s all about Taco Treat!!
Where else can you get a deep friend bean and cheese burrito? LOL!

Come to think about it enchanted, you’re right about Lowe. Since Penny has been out he’s been the only some what consistent starter aside from Billingsley. Run support has been Lowe’s achilles heel for the last two seasons.
Freaking Kuroda…don’t get me started on that. Oh and please, don’t anyone mention Schmidt to me. I just might blow a blood vessel…

jungar – I love reading your thoughts. This is so very frustrating and incomprehensible right now, and like you said, even though they are rumors, in Ned’s world there really isn’t any rumor that can be said as just that – a rumor.

Hey here’s an idea. Let’s trade all of our young guns to the Angels for all of their PVLs, then we all become Angel fans. We’ll finally have Scioscia as a manager – a guy who actually likes and plays youth, and an owner that knows how and wants to win.

Part of me just wants us to fall apart and wait for next season, but I know next season only brings about the same issues and the same old heartache. So I might as well give myself migraines now and just ride it out.

well said, jungar. it’s like basic logic and common sense completely escape the minds of torre and colletti. while all these moves that make absolutely no sense go on, the fans are left to ponder if this is the most elaborate practical joke ever played.

enchanted – sounds like a plan – LOL!!! I would then have Andre and Mike – how cool would that be!!! My first Dodger love and my latest Dodger love – Wow!!
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erica – I am for Norcal – don’t know ethier (either) restaurant, but they both sound great. We have some pretty good mexican food here, as well :)

welcome, erica!……………oh yeah, and did anybody else notice that they replaced the picture at the bottom left corner of the dodger website where it says “dodgers en espanol” with a picture of martin, kemp and billingsley? there used to be a picture of martin, andruw, and penny there. i was crackin up when i saw that.

it’s totally a big practical joke. that’s great…yeah it’s just annoying…i could already see it, Pierre struggles and then, “well u know i came back a little early and i can hit just fine as usual, same as i always hit; aggressive, makeing things happen, getting on base….but i cant push off on my knee as well as i used to right now to run, steal create havoic, u knowmy game. . but im fine, the team needs me yap yap yap…”

LOL SCOTT! No offense taken. I’m from West Covina :)
But we live in La Verne now. I freaking love La Verne…

Yup, enchanted, its still there!
I eat pretty healthy but if I’m going to blow it I prefer to blow it on places like that!!
Clearmans? Northwoods Inn right?
My mother in law and I just went there. Awesome food.
T-Phillips in La Verne has been our spot for burgers, beer and sports. I just wish they had big screens :-/

I agree that McCourt is about the worst excuse for an owner that you’re likely to find, but he’s probably going to be around for most of our lifetimes unless it’s the MLB that gets fed up with him. Torre is just an ill-timed and unsuitable manager for our type of a team, and maybe for any team in the National League at this time in his career. In fact, he should have retired after his “legendary” stint with the no payroll limit Yankees. Ned should never have been a GM for anybody under any circumstances, because he just doesn’t belong in baseball at that level, and mind me when I say that nobody will ever offer him a GM job again once he’s gone.

Anybody who would even listen to a deal like Cano for Lowe AND Kemp is beyond ridicule, and their sanity deserves to be seriously evaluated, but that’s what McCourt has brought to us. One can only pray and hope that even McCourt can get sufficiently exasperated with someone blowing his untold millions that he’ll eventually get rid of him. Unfortunately I don’t see any sign of that yet.
If you don’t understand what I’m saying, Frank. it’s
FIRE NED, that worthless bast*** NOW, if not sooner!!!

messagebear – thanks for chiming in with common sense. Ned and Joe seem to have lost any shread that we thought they may have had for the few weeks JP was gone and all these trade rumors began showing up.

If we’re gonna talk Mexican food, tain’t nothing compares to what you can get here in Cruces. Stuffed sopapillas, fresh green chiles from the chile capital of the world (Hatch), best salsas and pico de gallo you could imagine, traditional enchiladas with the egg on top, empanadas…

BTW, if you ever come to New Mexico, be prepared for the server to ask you, “red or green?”

This is Nelly who lives in norcal – I really live in the central valley (it’s just north from you), but I went to sac state and rafted the American River many times – what fun!!! enchanted lives in NM, but has lived in this area before.

Sorry for the mix up. I’m trying to work and post at the same time! ACK! LOL.

So Nelly-NorCal-ish
& Enchanted-NM…
got it ;)

Did enchanted just say sopapillas???? omg…
My mouth is literally watering. I have family who lives in NM. I went to Santa Fe for many years as a kid. Sopapillas are one of my favorite things on earth!!!
By chance, have you heard of the singer Tobias Rene?

Amy – you asked how my vacation is going. The reason why I am posting instead of vacationing is because I am waiting for two teenage kids to get ready. My daughter has changed her clothes three times in the last half an hour. So, I am sitting here blogging and reading instead. No, tonight we are going to go to a show with our friends we are here to see. So, it’s just kind of relaxing time until then – poolside!!!

erica – don’t worry about the mix-up. I couldn’t even start to separate all of the so-cal people. There are a few of us nor-cal ITDers, and they will show up sooner or later. Also, there are quite a few girls on this board too. We are a very diverse group with many out-of-staters as well.

I agree nells – green is the best. And if you like traditional hot jalapeno salsa, Aztec Salsa Company – “Pueblo” salsa. After having hers, I can’t eat anything else. Don’t think they have a website up and running yet though. Next time you’re up in Oakhurst, El Cid’s north of town on Hwy 41 is very good. If you like a tasty hamburger, The Forks up at Bass Lake is great.

Hey Dnel,
It sounds like you having a good time in Vegas!!! But I will NEVER forgive you for getting to sit and talk to Mr. Popeye forearms for 15 minutes!!! I grew up with seats on the first base side about 5 rows up and He was my Favorite baseball player!!!
Welcome Erica glad you could join us….

My cousin, Tobias Rene, is the “King of New Mexico Music”
LOL. He does spanish music. I went out there one summer and went to a few shows out in Las Cruces and Las Vegas NM with him and his band, and the ladies were going nuts over him. It was way weird.
LOL!

enchanted – I have been to El Cid’s – Ha!!! Great place!!! I will check out “The Forks” next time we are up that way.
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jnv – It was great and very unexpected, which made it even better. He even gave me an idea for my classroom – How cool is that? However, this is the only way I would meet the players. It would have to be through something like that. I wouldn’t try to do it at a game. So, I am hoping for the same chance sometime like that to meet Andre, and I would love to meet Mike Scoscia some day too. Steve Garvey was my mom’s favorite, and my brother actually coached his son on a travel team for a short time. So, I got to add that to our discussion. It was a great day!!
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erica – you are very welcome!!!

jnv – from what enchanted has told me, I think he has been in every big and little town in California. I hadn’t even heard of some of the little towns around me that he has been to. The boy/man gets around.
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See, enchanted!! You being called legendary fits really well for you. Manny called you legendary last night – how cool!!! And that’s a good thing :)

Tito’s Tacos on Washington Place in Culver City! dnelly, yes I was being sarcastic about Pierre. I would have thought the Dodgers learned a lesson about trading for second basemen. It’s something you just DON’T DO. Second basemen are everywhere…slick glove, decent bat. How hard is that to find? And in reference to my Dodger trade taboo, anybody remember trading a guy named Pedro Martinez for a second baseman named DeLino DeShields???????????????????

Dnel- It sounds like you had a good time and I am envious to say the least!!!
Enchanted- Are there any good places here in the Sacramento area??
Scott- You can thank Lasorda for that one if I am not mistaken!!! Perez what a waste that was.

i just read the Cano rumor and my heart skipped a beat.
well its 12 o’ clock and colleti hasn’t pulled the trigger yet so hopefully he doesn’t do anything today, maybe he should take the rest of the month off!!!!!

hi erica, i myself am new to ITD, n i also believe in Colleti’s conspiracy

Well I have another question, since I was too young to understand the LoDuca trade, can someone expalin to me how FOX contributed, or butted in? ? ?

welcome newbies!
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manny55 – It was DePodesta, McCourt’s first GM hire, that traded LoDuca. He wanted to upgrade the pitching (Penny – who’s given LA three seasons of decent-to-very-good pitching, and this year’s injury-plagued one) and, as was revealed in the Mitchell Report, deal the ‘roider. LoDuca has essentially been in decline ever since that trade.

You walk up to the plate
With your bat in your hand
You see somebody pitching
And you say, “Who is that man?”
You try so hard
But you don’t understand
Just what you’ll say
When you get home

Because something is happening here
But you don’t know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?

You raise up your head
And you ask, “Is this a strike?”
And the ump points to you and says
“It is”
And you say, “You sure?”
And the catcher says, “Yes it is?”
And you say, “Oh my God
Am I here all alone?”

Because something is happening here
But you don’t know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?

You watch strike two go by
And you smile like a geek
The fans start to yell at you
Man they’re starting to shriek
And they say, “How does it feel
To be such a freak?”
And you say, “I’m not worried”
And they flip you the bone

Because something is happening here
But you don’t know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?

You have a huge contract
Your work habits are lax
‘Cept you don’t miss your snacks
When we attack you in frustration
And nobody has any respect
Because we expect you
To just give your check
To tax-deductible charity organizations

You’ve been with the writers
They made fun of your looks
That great agent you have
Is a leper and a crook
You’ve been through all of
The “How To Hit” books
You’re very well fed
It’s well known

Because something is happening here
But you don’t know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?

Well, the pitcher, he comes up to you
And then he winds
And throws the pitch
And then he closes his eyes
‘Cause he knows you’re in a ditch
He asks you how it feels
That you’re his little bitch
Thanks for the loan”

Because something is happening here
But you don’t know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?

Now you hear the fans yelling
Shouting the word “NOW”
And you say, “For what reason?”
And they say, “How?”
And you say, “What does this mean?”
And he screams back, “You’re a cow
Give me some milk
Or else go home”

Because something is happening here
But you don’t know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?

Well, you’ve had your chance here
To be a hero and you’ve failed
Frank put money in your pocket
And our season’s been derailed
There ought to be a law
We shoulda had you jailed
You should be made
To dodge stones

Because something is happening here
But you don’t know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?

The minor leaguer (Bill Murphy) that came with Penny was immediately flipped in a package of useless minor-leaguers (Koyie Hill, Reggie Abercrombie) for Steve Finley – who hit 13 HRs in two months, including that glorious division-clinching walk-off grand slam against the Giants!

scott- how could they do that? why would they do that? do they have the power, i dont really get it, and who did they get in return? (im not doubting your answer I just cant comprehend it)

western/jnv- i remember we also gave up encarnacion and mota, back when he was reliable, for hee seop choi, and one more guy…i was too young to understand trades and all that gm stuff, but even then i knew that was stupid…although now that I know about LoDuca, Im not sure how to feel…whatever I hope Colleti can learn from the past, and stop giving up talent…

“Some people say he strikes out a lot; OK, so did another pretty good leadoff guy, Bobby Bonds,” the scout said. “Kemp gives them a dangerous bat at the top of the order, a guy with power who can run. They don’t have that with [Juan] Pierre.”

Kemp has hit safely in 17 of 19 starts since Pierre went on the disabled list on June 30. As a leadoff man this year, Kemp is batting .316 with with a .393 on-base percentage and a .925 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. Ten of his 25 hits from the leadoff spot have gone for extra bases. In his last seven games, Kemp is batting .406 (13-for-32) with five multi-hit games.”

I just read this post: oh yeah, and did anybody else notice that they replaced the picture at the bottom left corner of the dodger website where it says “dodgers en espanol” with a picture of martin, kemp and billingsley? there used to be a picture of martin, andruw, and penny there. i was crackin up when i saw that.
By yarrum_07@hotmail.com
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Nice that Matt is represented on the front!! See they can’t trade him, he’s already on the website :) haha If only it were that easy.
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good afternoon mis amigos, btw.

LOL! from a Keith Law (ESPN) chat, as spotted at Dodgers Thoughts comments – check out the last part HAHA!:
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joe (LA): should the dodgers be shopping kemp? seems like they’re giving up on him really early.
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Keith law: No, they shouldn’t be shopping him. You can’t rush a guy to the big leagues that quickly – and he sort of rushed himself by destroying the minors – and then expect him to be a finished product when he walks in the door. They can’t all be incompetent baserunners and indifferent fielders like Proven Veteran Jeff Kent, you know.

The Dodgers are notorious for ridiculous trades. The Pedro trade for Delino Deshields takes the cake. That’s for sure.

Fox basically ran the club into the ground by trading away guys like Piazza and Karros (forgive me if someone went over this already). Fox didn’t give a flying you know what about the ball club. They even treated Mike Scioscia like crap when the management positions became available, hence his move to the Angels.
Depodesta was part of that era as well and he is still someone I’d like beat with an ashwood bat. Ned is #2 on that list.

Regarding Lo Duca – from the Mitchell Report:
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According to the notes of an internal discussion among Los Angeles Dodgers officials in October 2003 that were referred to above, it was reportedly said of Lo Duca during
the meetings:
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Steroids aren’t being used anymore on him. Big part of this.
Might have some value to trade . . . Florida might have interest.. . . Got off the steroids . . . Took away a lot of hard line drives.. . . Can get comparable value back would consider trading. . . . If you do trade him, will get back on the stuff and try to show you he can have a good year. That’s his makeup. Comes to play. Last
year of contract, playing for 05
.
On June 26, 2004, Lo Duca wrote a check to [steriod supplier Kirk] Radomski for $3,200. On July 30, 2004, the Dodgers traded Lo Duca, Guillermo Mota, and Juan Encarnacion to the Marlins. On August 7, 2004, Lo Duca issued another check to Radomski for $3,200. In January 2005, Lo Duca signed a three-year contract with the Marlins.

FOX – the ownership at the time – was Fred Claire’s boss, and the boss can do whatever he dam well pleases.
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Cleveland will not be trading Sizemore anytime in the next five years.
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NEW POST FROM JOSH – see you there.

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